Economic updates from newspapers

 

v  SBI would take a call on increasing base rate today, says its Chairman.(IE)

v  SBI is hopeful of government’s approval of its proposed rights issue of equity shares of Rs 20,000 crore to support its growth plans.(BS)

v  IOB cleans up balance-sheet with Rs 970-cr write-off.(BL)

v  Punjab & Sind Bank has paid dividend of Rs 36.61 crore to the Government for the financial year 2010-11.(BL)

v  IDBI Bank has bought 10% stake in Universal Commodity Exchange (UCX).(BS)

v  Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd (CIBIL) is now making companies' credit information reports available to individual companies.(BL)

v  Indian corporates  are raising funds through commercial papers to meet their short-term working capital needs as borrowing from banks turn expensive with most lenders increasing base rates.(ET)

v  Handicraft exporters have demanded that goods being sold in India should be given "deemed export" status to make them eligible for tax benefits that currently apply only to exported items.(ET)

v  Government released the draft Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2011, which seeks to make it mandatory for all MFIs to be registered with RBI, making it the regulator of this sector.(FE)

v  Government guarantee  is vital for investing PF money in equities, says former RBI Governor, Mr Bimal Jalan.(BL)

v  SEBI is looking at allowing interoperability between BSE, NSE to facilitate aggregated clearing in the next two-three years.(BS)

v  IRDA has scrapped the minimum -3- year profitability clause for life insurers to float IPOs.(ET)

v  World Bank has approved $1 billion for National Rural Livelihood Project.(FE)

v  Swiss Banks block client access to offshore accounts on pending tax deals.(BS)

Read more...

Economic updates from newspapers-2

v  State Bank of Travancore raised its Base Rate & BPLR  by 25 bps to 9.75% and 14.50% respectively.(FE)

v  Bank of Maharashtra paid a dividend of Rs 105.93 crore to the Government for the 2011 fiscal.(BL)

v  RBI asked Banks to increase credit flow to SMEs.(BS)

v  UCO Bank plans 5 SME loan hubs this year.(FE)

v  IOB plans to set up an IT subsidiary by tying up with an IT company to develop banking technology.(BS)

v  IOB has appointed consultants Deloitte Haskins and Sells to explore prospects of expanding business to 14 more centres abroad.(BL)

v  South Indian Bank Ltd has appointed JM Financial Consultants, SBI Capital Markets and JP Morgan to manage its up to 400 million share sale to institutions.(BS)

v  Banks with investments in excess of 10 per cent of their net worth in liquid and short-term debt schemes will get six months to bring exposure in line with the ceiling.(BS)

v  RBI has cautioned banks about the increasing number of frauds that were perpetrated by the use of forged documents that had been certified by professionals i.e valuers, advocates and chartered accountants.(BL)

v  United Stock Exchange has appointed SBI as its clearing and settlement bank.(BS)

v  Consumer Price Index (CPI) works better than Wholesale Price Index (WPI) in capturing market dynamics and arriving at a more realistic inflation forecast, says Governor of RBI.(BS)

v  SEBI will impose penalty on trading members for modifying client codes for non-institutional trades.(BS)

v  Government will stick to the fiscal deficit target of 4.6% of GDP for 2011-12, says Finance Minister.(ET)

v  Indian companies raised $2.65 billion through ECBs and FCCBs in May — a rise of $590 million, or 28.6 per cent, over $2.06 billion in April.(BS)

Read more...

Economic updates from newspapers

v  RBI allowed Indian companies to take fresh external loans and issue new FCCBs to address debt obligations.(BS)

v  Shri Harun Rashid Khan on Monday assumed charge as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a period of three years. (ET)

v  RBI imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on Citibank for breaching various guidelines and instructions related to KYC & AM guidelines.(BS)

v  Good economic growth, favourable demographics and under-penetration is benefiting the growth of Indian banking sector and banks in the country are expected to have another good year during 2011-12, says a report by Standard & Poor's.(FE)

v  SBI may see pressure on its net interest margins and profitability in the current environment, which is marked by increasing competition and high inflation, says Standard and Poor’s.  (BS)

v  Dhanlaxmi Bank entered the gold retailing business with the launch of ‘Dhan' gold coins.(BL)

v  Lakshmi Vilas Bank has introduced Visa Debit Gold Card for its premier customers.(BL)

v  Mid and small-sized private banks are approaching institutional investors and private equity funds to raise money amid declining capital adequacy ratios.(BS)

v  SBI Life unveils variable insurance plan.(FE)

v  Top MFIs such as SKS and Bandhan are looking at alternative options like non-convertible debentures and commercial paper for raising funds.(BS)

v  Department of Posts plans to introduce Core Banking Solution by 2012.(ET)

v  FDI flows into India in May more than doubled to about $4.7 billion from the same period a year ago, says  Government.(ET)

 

Read more...

Report of the Working Group on Operating Procedure of Monetary Policy - Deepak Mohanty Committe Report

 Following the First Quarter Review of Monetary Policy for 2010-11 (July 2010), the Reserve Bank constituted a Working Group to Review the Operating Procedure of Monetary Policy in India (Chairman: Shri Deepak Mohanty). Based on the Group's recommendations, it has been decided by RBI to make the following changes in the extant operating procedures of monetary policy:

 

·        The weighted average overnight call money rate will be the operating target of monetary policy of the Reserve Bank.

·        There will henceforth be only one independently varying policy rate and that will be the repo rate. The transition to a single independently varying policy rate is expected to more accurately signal the monetary policy stance.

·        The reverse repo rate will continue to be operative but it will be pegged at a fixed 100 basis points below the repo rate. Hence, it will no longer be an independent rate.

·        Under Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) SCBs can borrow overnight up to one per cent of their respective NDTL. The rate of interest on amount accessed from this facility will be 100 basis points above the repo rate. This facility is expected to contain volatility in the overnight inter-bank market.

·        As per the above scheme, the revised corridor will have a fixed width of 200 basis points. The repo rate will be in the middle. The reverse repo rate will be 100 basis points below it and the MSF rate 100 basis points above it.

·        While the width of the corridor is fixed at 200 basis points, the Reserve Bank will have the flexibility to change the corridor, should monetary conditions so warrant.

 

Read more...